Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio
Catherine Beebe
Robb Beebe (Illustrator)
ISBN 9780898704167
This volume is I believe the first ever published in the Vision Books for Young Readers series. There are currently 40 titles in print from Ignatius that brought many of the original books back into print and has since expanding the series with new offerings. There were 72 original volumes released between 1955 and 1967 and Ignatius has added 9 new titles to the series since the year 2000.
I love the Vision Books for Young Readers, and this is another excellent offering in this great series.
The description of this book states:
“A Vision book containing the enthralling story of the great modern apostle of youth, Saint John Bosco, and his best-loved pupil who became a saint, Dominic Savio. Blessed with tremendous natural and supernatural gifts, including a wonderful sense of humor, Saint John Bosco overcame overwhelming obstacles to help deprived children find a better life.
Juggler, magician, acrobat, tailor, teacher and writer--John Bosco became all of these in his efforts to lead boys and girls to God. A prayer was the price of admission to his shows; a friendly contest to match skill or strength was his answer to the hoodlums who laughed at him. As a priest he was known as Don Bosco and built churches and schools.
Don Bosco's schools were cheerful places where the school spirit ran high. This story of Saint John Bosco and his pupil, Saint Dominic Savio, will appeal to the young readers of today.”
About the series in the first edition we are informed:
“Each new Vision Book adds another exciting life story to this rich collection of biographies for Catholic youngsters. Written by wellknown authors in sparkling, lively language, Vision Books are based upon careful research and historical fact. Imprimatur.”
Unlike many of the other 20 volumes I have read in the series, The chapters in this offering do not have titles. About the author we are informed:
“Catherine Beebe wrote her first juvenile books for her own three children, Mary, Joe and Bob. With her artist-illustrator husband, Robb Beebe, she has over a dozen successes to her credit including We Know the 2lass, The Story of Jesus, The Story of Mary, and Saint Christopher. She is an advertising copywriter and a Member of The Gallery of Living Catholic Authors. As a former teacher and librarian she acts as a library consultant in helping to establish and maintain Catholic school libraries.”
And she contributed three volumes to this series. I have read a few volumes about Saint John Bosco over the years and I am always blessed and challenged by them. I highlighted a few passages while reading this book, some of them are:
“They were quite right, for the juggler and magician they had seen in the village square was John Bosco. At that time he was no better known than any other boy in his Italian village. But that same John Bosco was to become known and loved all over the world. He was to be remembered not for his tricks of magic, nor for his skill as a tightrope walker but as one of the world's mighty saints.”
“As the weeks went by, John did the same things that he had done before his First Holy Communion. But now, as his mother had said, he did them better. His purpose in life became clearer and clearer to him. His longing to help other boys became stronger. He felt sorry for those who did not have a good home and a wonderful mother like his mother.”
“Although he was very busy with his parish duties and quite old, Don Calosso enjoyed teaching his new student John was so eager to learn that it was a pleasure to teach him. The boy worked hard at his lessons. Grammar and Latin meant a great deal to him. He knew that as a priest he would have a special need for these subjects.”
“"He's very holy, mother, but not a bit solemn. He always seems so happy and peaceful. He works hard for the people of his parish but he's never too busy nor in too much of a hurry to be kind, especially to the children. They run to him whenever they see him. No one is the least bit afraid of him. You can see that he loves everyone, and you just know that he loves God. He truly lives like our Lord."”
“That is the way John Bosco's first Happy Company began many, many years ago. Today there are boys' clubs bearing that name all over the world. For that little group in the town of Chieri marked the beginning of one of John Bosco's greatest works.”
“The day's outing always began with Mass and ended with a visit to some church for vespers and Benediction. Then the boys would go their separate ways. After these meetings they felt better able to do the hard work ahead of them. They were better able to face the miseries of their poor homes and the trials of their daily lives.”
“His Sunday outings with the poor boys of Chieri took a great deal of John Bosco's time. But his lessons always came first. He knew that he must have the best possible education if he was to become a priest.”
“John Bosco did get to know him. He and Louis Comollo became close friends. It was a rather strange friendship. John was a strong, eager young man, ready to rush into any adventure. He had never been able to overcome his hot temper completely, and he was always ready to fight for his friend.”
“Louis Comollo died when he was still a schoolboy at Chieri, but John Bosco never forgot him. Remembering Louis's ways helped John to change his headstrong spirit. When he became a teacher years later, the thought of Louis Comollo made him more patient in dealing with his own stupid or unruly students.”
“They all agreed, and Festive Oratory became the name of their meeting place. They didn't know then that their meeting place would be the first of thousands of Don Bosco's Festive Oratories all over the world.”
“"You fellows are like cabbages," he said."They have to be transplanted several times during their growth. Each time they are taken up and planted in a new place they become stronger until they are perfect. Our Oratory will grow stronger in spite of these moves—or maybe because of them, my little cabbages."”
“Many of his young people could neither read nor write. Some never wanted to learn. Some never had the chance. Now they all wanted to join his night classes. They didn't know it then but theirs was the first nightschool of all times.”
“He chose his teachers not only for their high marks but also for their good conduct and common sense. He selected them carefully, for Don Bosco's standards were always high.”
“All during his teaching years Don Bosco tried to make saints out of his boys. In 1954, one of his first boarders, Dominic Savio, was named a saint. He was born in the same part of Italy as his teacher but about twenty-seven years later.”
“The time came when Don Bosco no longer needed protection. Even his enemies had to admire and respect the priest who did so much not only for the young but also the old, the sick, and the poor. It was quite safe for him to go on his errands of mercy. Grigio no longer went with him.”
“When Don Bosco told his first small band of Salesians that they were only the beginning, he spoke truly. Today there are over eighteen thou sand Salesians all over the world. His schools, which began with a dirty little boy who couldn't serve Mass, now number seven hundred or more. They are to be found in almost every country in the world.”
“The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, have now grown to over thirteen thousand. They have schools all over the world. They now teach in colleges that are run by the government as well as in their own schools.”
“Don Bosco's first group of Salesian Co-operators was just a small band of willing workers. Today there are almost a million of these helpers in all parts of the world.”
“Almost fifty years of Don Bosco's life had gone by. All those years he had worked night and day for young people. He was the first to find a cure for juvenile delinquency. He was the first to find a good way to prevent it. He was the first to turn large groups of wayward boys and girls into good and useful citizens in the eyes of God and man.”
“Don Bosco had always lived so close to our Lord that God gave him power to perform some of His miracles. Don Bosco had cured the sick and made the lame walk. He had given sight to the blind, and at least on one strange occasion had brought the dead back to life. God had let him perform miracles that only saints can perform.”
“"The shepherd boy of Becchi, the acrobat who juggled to win souls for God, the priest and teacher of boys, the builder of schools and churches, the founder of missions, known as Don Bosco, beloved Apostle of Youth, is now and forever, Saint John Bosco, Giant of Sanctity."”
That final quote is from the process of his canonization. I hope those quotes give you a feel from this volume. Having already read a few volumes about John Bosco there were not a lot of surprises in this work, but I can say it is likely my favourite from those I have read to date.
There is a lot we can learn from Saint John Bosco, and how he lived his life. He can be an example to us no matter our stage of life or age. And also no matter our vocation. This excellent volume will inspire and challenge readers of all ages.
I love this book and series! My two youngest both teenagers enjoy the Vision Books, I am in my fifties and I love them, those Ignatius brought back in print, the new expansions of the series, and the originals I can lay my hands on that Ignatius has not licensed. This was the beginning of a series and I am thankful to have read it. It would be an excellent volume for any home, school, or church library!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books about Saint John Bosco:
…
Books in the Vision Books Saints Biographies:
The Cure of Ars
Edmund Campion
Florence Nightingale's Nuns
Fr. Marquette and the Great Rivers
Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi
Kateri Tekakwitha
Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World
Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity
Saint Anthony and the Christ Child
Saint Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal
Saint Dominic and the Rosary
Saint Elizabeth's Three Crowns
Saint Francis of the Seven Seas
Saint Helena and the True Cross
Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus
Saint Isaac and the Indians
Saint Katherine Drexel
Saint Louis and the Last Crusade
Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart
Saint Therese and the Roses
Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars
Saint Thomas More of London
Vincent De Paul: Saint of Charity
…
Out of Print books in the Series:
Catholic Campuses, Stories of American Catholic Colleges
Champions in Sports and Spirit
Children Welcome: Villages for Boys and Girls
Christmas and the Saints
Columbus and the New World
Dear Philippine: Mission of Mother Duchesne
Edel Quinn: Beneath the Southern Cross
Frances Warde and the First Sisters of Mercy
Good Pope John b
Governor Al Smith
In American Vineyards, Religious Orders in the United States
John Carroll Bishop and Patriot
John Neumann, The Children's Bishop
Kit Carson of the Old West
Lydia Longley, the First American Nun
Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pioneer Teacher
Martin de Porres, Saint of the New World
Modern Crusaders
More Champions in Sports and Spirit
Mother Barat's Vineyard
My Eskimos: A Priest in the Artic
Peter and Paul: The Rock and the Sword
Peter Claver, Saint Among Slaves
Pope Pius XII, the World's Shepherd
Rose Hawthorne: The Pilgramage of Nathaniel's Daughter
Saints of the Byzantine World
Sarah Peter: The Dream and the Harvest
St. Augustine and His Search for Faith
St. Francis de Sales
St. Gregory the Great, Consul of God
St. Jerome and the Bible
St. Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart
The Bible Story, The Promised Lord and His Coming
The Cross in the West
The Ursulines, Nuns of Adventure
…
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